Aconitum napellus

CATARRH.

ACUTE NASAL CATARRH.

Aconite. Is adapted to such suffering from exposure to dry cold air. Chill or coldness followed by fever heat and restlessness, headache at the root of the nose, not much coryza as yet; or habitual coryza suppressed; burning and pricking in the throat and Eustachian tubes are symptoms commonly found indicating this remedy. If given early in frequent doses for an hour or two the fever will abate and be followed by perspiration and general relief of all the symptoms.

LARYNGITIS.

Not giving the remedies in alphabetical order, as is done in most works, we may well begin this list with Aconite, as it has a decided and positive action on the larynx. Aconite is often indicated in the acute form, brought on by exposure to cold dry air, most works say cold west winds, and that depends on whether you are living on the Atlantic shores or the Pacific. Cold dry air is better; chill or chilliness, followed with fever, with hot, dry skin, great restlessness, impatience and fearful anxiety. The child wakes up in the night with croupy cough and breathing; pain in the larynx and anxious suffocation. With this remedy most cases can, if taken early, be cured in a short time or so modified that other remedies easily finish up the case. This is of course in cases uncomplicated with specific Miasms.

CROUP.

Aconite will relieve nine-tenths of the cases of catarrhal laryngitis or croup as it occurs in our northern latitudes. It generally occurs as the result of exposure to dry, cold air, attacking the child in the evening or first part of the night, with great excitement, high fever, tossing and gasping for breath. A little of the 12th or 30th dilution in water in teaspoonful doses once in ten or 15 minutes, until the child becomes more quiet, and then at longer intervals until the fever subsides, will be all that is necessary if administered early in the disease. If, however, the cough persists with a rough, croupy sound, as of a “saw driven through a pine board,” and the stridulous breathing continues between the paroxysms Spongia is apt to be the next remedy. If the cough becomes more rattling, but still croupy, as if the mucus would come up but does not, and the aggravations are in the latter part of the night or morning, and especially if all the symptoms are made worse by cold air striking the patient, Hepar sulphur. comes in. These three were Bœnninghausen’s great remedies, and with them he had success never before his time attained. He gave them in the 200th. They are still as useful as then, and must always be, because Homœopathy is always the same. But there are cases that will not respond to this treatment, which proves that routinism won’t do.

BRONCHITIS.

ACUTE BRONCHITIS.

Aconite. Chill followed by synochal fever, high temperature, quick pulse, general dry heat, dry skin, with great restlessness, fear and agonized tossing about. There is generally short dry cough, even croupy (in children), and such cases are more often apt to occur after exposure to dry cold air. It is best adapted to sanguine, full blooded subjects. If such an attack should occur in a delicate, pale or weakly subject Ferrum phosphoricum would generally do better work. With Ferrum there is not so much of the nervous excitability as with Aconite, but the fever is very great and congestion to the lungs more liable if anything.

PNEUMONIA.

Aconite, if there is a history of chill in cold dry air. The chill is generally pronounced and is promptly followed by high grade inflammatory fever, great heat, dry skin, intense thirst, restlessness, fear and anguish, patient tosses about in agony with loud complaints. The expectoration with the cough is tenacious and lumpy, of dark cherry red color. Now if Aconite is exhibited in potency from the 6th to the 30th, oft repeated, there will generally follow profuse perspiration and amelioration of all the other symptoms. But if such is not the case after twenty-four hours—

PLEURITIS.

In this disease, if it is ushered in by one, or repeated chills, and especially if it occurs after exposure to dry cold air, followed by high fever, great thirst, quick pulse, dry, hot skin, anxious restlessness, agonized tossing about, sticking pains in chest, dry hacking cough, Aconite is the remedy. If this remedy is given in the 12th or 30th once an hour to three hours, according to violence of the symptoms, it will often check the disease in from 24 to 48 hours. But if we are called in too late and the stage of effusion is begun or the Aconite does not remove all the trouble the next remedy is generally Bryonia when the sharp stitching pain continues, and the thirst and fever also; the pain and suffering is aggravated on the least motion, and the patient feels better lying on the painful side; the tongue is coated white. No remedy acts more positively on the serous membranes, and it may finish the case, even to promote the effusion, which Aconite could not do.

PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

Aconite, if there is great restlessness and fearfulness.

COUGH.

Character—Generally dry, short, clear, ringing, whistling, or croupy.

Excited, or < in the evening; at night, during expiration; dry cold winds or currents of air; deep inspiration; smoking or drinking.

Ameliorated by nothing marked.

Accompanied by short breath, stitching pains, fever, restlessness and agonized tossing about.

In a general way Aconite is mostly indicated in the first stage of all acute inflammatory diseases of the respiratory organs. But unless the concomitant symptoms, especially FEARFUL, restlessness, and agonized tossing about, as well as high temperature and rapid pulse are present, the Belladonna or some other remedy having equally intense inflammatory symptoms may have to be preferred.